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Shedding its label as Motor City and quickly reimagining its entrepreneurial roots, Detroit is attracting new creative companies like Shinola, a brand that’s reinventing the art of craftsmanship by producing entirely American-built watches and bikes. During a visit, discover the restaurants, bars, and public art facilities shaping Detroit’s future.

Where to Stay
In the next year alone, a host of new hotels are set to open in downtown Detroit: From Foundation Hotel’s renovation planned to finish in early 2017 to The Shinola Hotel, scheduled to open in 2018, there’s a reason big hospitality names are inking deals in the city. Basing yourself at the newly opened Trumbull & Porter hotel, enjoy a luxe stay in the city’s first boutique property, located in the historic Corktown neighborhood. Cycle the town using on-property rentals from Detroit Bikes, and visit the hotel’s art-inspired courtyard in the evenings for live music. For the art lovers, opt for a stay at Aloft Detroit, located in the historic David Whitney Building next to Grand Circus Park.

Where to Eat and Drink

Myriad eateries have opened in Detroit in the past three years, elevating the city’s culinary culture one outpost at a time. Book a table at the James Beard–nominated Mabel Gray, in Hazel Park, to eat chef James Rigato’s modern, seasonal cuisine. Visit another James Beard semifinalist at Selden Standard, where chef Andy Hollyday serves wood-fired-oven fare. Dine on Thai plates at cult favorite Katoi and gnocchi and cannoli at La Rondinella in Eastern Market. Order small plates at the convivial Wright & Company and sip frozen margaritas and down boilermakers at The Skip. End your culinary crawl with a nightcap at swanky outposts like Standby and Sugar House.

Now celebrating 44 years, Noel Night will be held Saturday, December 3rd, 2016, from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. True to its roots, Noel Night continues to be a Cultural Center-wide “Open House,” celebrating the city’s diverse holiday traditions amid the state’s premier arts and cultural institutions, historic churches, galleries, and ever-growing circle of small businesses and restaurants, providing the perfect backdrop for a festive evening packed full of performances to enjoy with family and friends—all free of charge.

Horse-drawn carriage rides, carolers, music, dance, theatre, children’s make & take activities, unique shopping, holiday delectables, and visits with Santa are all part of the evening’s festivities. Noel Night continues to grow each year, now featuring 100 different venues and recently attracted 40,000 visitors in 2015. Over 200 performances are sure to bring the sounds of the season to life.

Click HERE for the Full Noel Night Schedule, Special Installations, Parking & Directions!

She plays nice. And naughty. Alex adored her high school job at a scoop shop. “The thing I really loved about ice cream is what I love about chocolate,” she says. “You get to be with people when they’re being naughty. Not forbidden, not risqué, but a little naughty."

She’s no Forrest Gump. With a box of Alexandra Clark chocolates, you always know what you’re gonna get. Her $3 bonbons are thin chocolate shells (boxes themselves, really) with no top, so the filling is exposed. The design is a metaphor: “We are an open and honest business.” Rather than convey an air of finnicky perfection, her staff shares kitchen mishaps on Instagram, to the glee of adoring fans.

Detroit is not unfamiliar with change and reinvention, and yet for all its complexity, the Motor City is often primarily thought of as the land of automobiles. While this is undeniably a piece of Detroit’s fascinating narrative, the city has a great deal more to offer, particularly in the creative arts, which have long played a prominent role in Detroit’s past (from original urban murals to an iconic record label), and in continuing to shape the ever-changing city today.

Museums like MOCAD share the work of brilliant Detroit artists with natives and visitors alike, while also making the case that Detroit is a destination for a diverse, international range of art. Throughout the city, there are extraordinary examples of storied architecture. In rare record shops, music from earlier decades lives on, while contemporary indie bands play in a mix of new venues and old (outrageously awesome) dive bars.

Neighborhoods like Midtown (museum district, home to DIA and a transformed retail experience), Downtown (encompasses all of the city’s major stages from economic to operatic and athletic), and Corktown (a hipster dream) have seen waves of new chefs and restaurants come onto the scene.

Several new boutique hotels are promised to debut in the next year or two. So, while what in part makes Detroit cool is that it doesn’t have all the familiar amenities and trends of frequently touristed cities, it is undeniably a city of reinvention, and we expect this guide to evolve with it.

For the second year in a row, the Southwest Detroit Business Association (SDBA) presents Holy Mole! Mexican Mole Contest from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 20 at Ste. Anne’s de Detroit Catholic Church located at 1000 Sainte Anne St., Detroit. The event celebrates the cooking talents of 15 pre-registered competitors who will each prepare their own rendition of homemade mole sauce, a hallmark of Mexican cooking and culinary symbol of the country’s mixed indigenous and European heritage.

“Last year’s Holy Mole! event was a tremendous success,” said SDBA President Kathy Wendler. “We had a standing-room-only audience that not only enjoyed the competition, but also appreciated the opportunity to purchase a variety of homemade foods and traditional products from local Latina entrepreneurs. This year, we anticipate more people joining us for this wonderful spotlight on Southwest Detroit’s Mexican culture and community.”

Mole is the national dish of Mexico and is most commonly served with meat. The mole is made to be the main focus of the meal, and is traditionally served during special occasions or festivities. The recipe can vary depending on which region it originates. On average, mole includes 28 ingredients and takes several hours to perfect.

Holy Mole! Mexican Mole Contest competitors will be judged on three categories: complexity of the recipe; overall flavor; and texture. Participants can receive up to five points for each individual category. Awards will be presented to the top three places and include: a $500 cash prize for the first place winner; a $250 gift certificate to E&L Supermercado for the second place winner; and a $150 gift certificate to Honey Bee Market – La Colmena for the third place winner.

The event is free of charge and spectators are encouraged to come and watch the contest unfold while enjoying traditional Mexican food items that will be available for purchase, including the mole sauce created by competitors for $10 by the half pound. In addition to the mole sauce, other traditional Mexican food items, such as tamales, empanadas and Mexican desserts, will be available for purchase.

“We are very pleased to have last year’s judges join us once again for the competition,” said Holy Mole! Event Coordinator Martina Guzman. “They include chef and proprietor of El Barzon Restaurant Norberto Garrita, Mexican historian and community activist Maria Elena Rodriguez, and chef and proprietor of El Asador Restaurant Luis Garza. In addition to our judges, we also would like to thank our many sponsors, volunteers and participants who make this event possible.”

Henry Ford Health System will participate in its second-annual #GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated to giving, by hosting an event featuring cheerleaders and players from the Detroit Lions at Hard Rock Cafe.

#GivingTuesday donations and event proceeds will benefit Game On Cancer, SandCastles Grief Support Program and the Henry Ford School and Community Based Health program. Henry Ford Health System aims to raise $50,000 to benefit these programs.

Donations can be made on site during the event, via phone by calling (313) 876-1031 or online at henryford.com/givingday.